Upcoming Concerts
A romantic feast to start our season. Tchaikovsky’s superb portrait of Romeo & Juliet heralds the delights of Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Mezzo soprano.
29 November 2025
Mathilde Milwidsky - Violin
Happy Holidays!
Johann Strauss II - Overture, Die Fledermaus
Bruch - Scottish Fantasy
Waldteufel - Skaters’ Waltz
Delius - Sleigh Ride
Prokofiev - Lieutenant Kijé Suite
Johann Strauss II - Blue Danube Waltz
Johann Strauss I - Radetzky March
Think “turn of the year” and it has to be music by the Johann Strausses, father and son. We’ve the big hits with the Blue Danube Waltz and Radetzky March, but also the brilliance of the Fledermaus Overture. Mathilde Milwidsky brings Bruch’s enchanting Scottish Fantasy - a virtuoso concerto in all but name - based on Scottish folk music (but with no sign of “Auld Lang Syne”). Elsewhere we’re keeping warm at the ice rink with Waldteufel, and then going off-piste for sleigh rides with both Delius and Prokofiev. A selection of fun pieces for what, most probably, will be a chilly winter’s evening.
31 January 2026
Matilda Lloyd - Trumpet
Dvořák - Czech Suite
Haydn - Trumpet Concerto
Plus operatic arias arranged for trumpet
Beethoven - Symphony No.5
Here are three classics, plus a “bonus”. Beethoven’s Fifth must be the world’s most popular symphony. It hits you between the eyes with its famous four-note motive, has poise and elegance in the slow movement, and both the scherzo and finale piledrive Beethoven’s emotional message home. How different is Dvořák’s Czech Suite with its series of beautifully crafted rustic dances? And then again, we’ve Haydn’s classical and joyful Trumpet Concerto, played by the acclaimed Matilda Lloyd, who also brings the “bonus” - operatic aria arrangements from her recent CD, “Casta Diva”.
21 March 2026
Jonathan Leibovitz - Clarinet
Schubert - Symphony No.8 “Unfinished”
Weber - Clarinet Concerto No.2
Brahms - Symphony No.4
We’ve two simply glorious symphonies tonight. Quite why Schubert didn’t finish his Unfinished we don’t know - lack of a performance or illness? But his two completed movements cross a magical boundary between the classics and the romantics. Weber continued the trend, and we’re delighted to have Jonathan Leibovitz return to play his sparkling 2nd Clarinet Concerto. Brahms then completed the idea in his magnificent 4th Symphony, with its overall classical form and romantic warmth.
16 May 2026
Benjamin Baker - Violin
Americana!
John Adams - A short ride in a fast machine
Bernstein - West Side Story, Symphonic dances
Korngold - Violin Concerto
Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man
Barber - Adagio for strings
Gershwin - An American in Paris
An exciting celebration of musical America. The panache of John Adams’ Short Ride sets the scene for the passion and sheer ebullience of Bernstein’s West Side Story, Symphonic dances. One of our favourite violinists, Benjamin Baker, returns for Korngold’s increasingly popular Violin Concerto, based on some of his own Hollywood movie themes. Copland’s famous Fanfare and Barber’s much-loved Adagio then pave the way for Gershwin’s spectacular portrait of An American in Paris - a brilliant way to end our season.
18th October 2025
Susan Legg - Mezzo Soprano
Tchaikovsky - Romeo & Juliet
Elgar - Sea Pictures
Smetana - Vltava
Borodin - Symphony No.2
A romantic feast to start our season..! Tchaikovsky’s superb portrait of Romeo & Juliet heralds the delights of Elgar’s Sea Pictures, including that most charming of songs, “Where corals lie”. Mezzo soprano, Susan Legg has a formidable international reputation for opera, oratorio and as a recitalist, and counts Elgar’s Sea Pictures as one of her personal favourites. Smetana’s Vltava may well be one of yours with its vivid musical depiction of the river that flows through Prague. Borodin’s 2nd Symphony then has it all - flamboyance, and a particularly brilliant finale.